Coming into Boston, Amy Cragg Trained More and Raced LessThe former Amy Hastings became a 2012 Olympic 10,000-meter runner after she missed an Olympic marathon spot by finishing fourth at the Trials. Her marathon career is on the upswing again after she ran a 2:27:03 for fifth place in Chicago in October, and her well-chosen subsequent races include a USA 15K victory. Cragg, who said that at this point she feels “tired, but not overdone,” did much of her winter mileage in Phoenix and feels ready for Boston on April 20 after her long, steady buildup. More[1]

Boston Contender Joyce Chepkirui Comes from Fast FamilyHonolulu Marathon champ Chepkirui’s most impressive credential may be her 1:06:19 half marathon PR. Her lineage is impressive, too. She’s the first cousin of Geoffrey Mutai, whose 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011 is the course record and still the second fastest marathon run under any conditions, and she’s the daughter of two runners. Chepkirui got tired of traveling so much to shorter competitions and said she’s turning to marathons, like Boston on April 20, so she can have long months without leaving home for competitions. More[2]

Could Rhode Island Have Two Marathons on One Day in October?A dispute between two event management companies could indeed result in two 26.2-milers in nearby areas of the smallest of the 50 states on the same day. It may be a step forward from one tied city council vote that threatened to leave Newport with no marathon at all in 2015. More[3]

Cheserek and Jenkins Will Run a 5000 at Oregon on SaturdayEdward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins of the University of Oregon may be the two best male distance runners in the NCAA ranks. But the Oregonian[4]reports that fans at the recent Stanford Invitational weren’t terribly pleased when they held back in a 10,000 there, merely trying to get qualifying times for the NCAA West Regional. The two men will next do a 5000 at the Pepsi Invitational, a triangular meet against Washington and Kentucky on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene. More[4]

David Rudisha Won’t Go to World RelaysThe Olympic champion and world record holder for 800 meters was expected to be able to bypass Friday’s Kenyan Trials for the World Relays in the Bahamas on May 2 and 3 and get an automatic entry onto the national team. But he’s currently training for shorter events, including a 600 in Ostrava in the Czech Republic on May 26, and won’t seek a spot for the Bahamas meet. Rudisha told the Daily Nation[5], “Kenya won the 4x800 last year without me and I believe they can do it much better.” More[5]

New Record Is Set for Around-the-World Run, by Just a BitEnglishman Kevin Carr did the 16,300-mile circumnavigation in 621 days, unofficially breaking the 622-day mark Tom Denniss of Australia had set in 2013. Carr went through 26 countries, having a close encounter with bears in Canada and suffering heatstroke in, of all places, Denmark. In India and Australia he ran by night. In Florida, the flu sidelined him for four days. Not only was Carr his own support crew, pushing his equipment and supplies in a custom-made cart, but he was also his own acupuncturist. More[6]

Team Hoyt Has a New Look for BostonIn 2014, Dick Hoyt pushed his son Rick, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, in a custom-racing wheelchair through the streets of the Boston Martahon for the 32nd time. Dick is now 74 and he’ll be the April 20 marathon’s grand marshal. Family friend Dr. Bryan Lyons, a 44-year-old dentist, will accompany Rick. They've done a few shorter road races together to get used to each other. More[7]

Canadian Stars Gillis and Merchant Favored at Yonge Street 10KEric Gillis, a 2:11:21 marathoner, is the defending champion of the April 19 race in Toronto, and he's also Canada’s national champ in the 10K. His plans to do the Rotterdam Marathon in April were squelched by tendonitis, but a strong recent 8K performance shows he should be ready for Yonge Street. Lanni Merchant is Canada’s women’s marathon record holder with a 2:28:00 and won on Yonge Street in 2013. She’s also planning to run a 10,000 on the track at the Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational in May. More[8]